Legal Notice 21 of 2016 - Malta Government Gazette No.15,523 – 19 January 2016
EDUCATION ACT
(CAP. 327)
Bye-Laws of 2016 in terms of the
General Regulations for University Postgraduate Awards, 2008
for the Degree of Master of Arts in Christian Faith Formation – M.A. under the auspices of the Faculty of Theology
IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred upon him by articles 74 (5) and 75 (6) of the
Education Act (Cap. 327), the Chancellor of the University of Malta has
promulgated the following bye-laws made by the Board of the Faculty of Theology
in virtue of the powers conferred upon it by article 81 (1) (c) of the said Act and
which have been approved by the Senate of the University of Malta as required by
article 81 (2) of the said Act:
Citation and Interpretation
1. (1) These bye-laws may be cited as the Bye-Laws of 2016 in terms of
the General Regulations for University Postgraduate Awards, 2008 for the degree of
Master of Arts in Christian Faith Formation – M.A. – under the auspices of the
Faculty of Theology.
(2)
In these bye-laws, unless the context otherwise requires -
"the Board" means the Board of the Faculty of Theology;
"the Course" means the programme of study leading to the degree of Master
of Arts in Christian Faith Formation – M.A.;
"the Degree" means the degree of Master of Arts in Christian Faith
Formation - M.A.;
“the Postgraduate Certificate” means the Postgraduate Certificate in
Christian Faith Formation – P.G. Cert.;
“the Postgraduate Diploma” means the Postgraduate Diploma in Christian
Faith Formation – P.G. Dip.; and
"the Principal Regulations" means the General Regulations for University
Postgraduate Awards, 2008.
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Applicability
2. These bye-laws shall be applicable for courses commencing in October
2015 or later.
Requirements for Admission
3.
The Course shall be open to applicants in possession of:
(a) a degree in education with at least Second Class Honours from this
University or a degree from another university recognised as equivalent for the
purpose together with a minimum of one year’s teaching experience; or
(b) any other degree with at least Second Class Honours, together with a
recognised teaching or education qualification and a minimum of one year’s
teaching experience; or
(c) a degree in education or a Teacher's Certificate, together with at least
two years’ teaching experience and other suitable qualifications obtained following
the degree or after the Teacher's Certificate; or
(d) any first cycle degree together with either a recognised teaching
qualification or the Postgraduate Certificate in Education, together with five years’
experience in an education setting; or
(e) any first cycle degree, together with at least two years’ teaching
experience in any Christian faith formation institute; or
(f) a qualification deemed by Senate, on the recommendation of the Board,
to be equivalent to the qualifications listed in sub-paragraphs (a) to (e) of this byelaw, together with the required years of experience.
Course Duration
4.
The Course shall extend over six semesters of part-time study.
Programme of Study
5. The programme of study shall comprise study-units to which a total of
90 ECTS credits are assigned, of which 60 ECTS credits are assigned to taught
study-units and 30 ECTS credits are assigned to the dissertation study-unit.
6. Students who obtain 30 ECTS credits assigned to taught study-units with
an average mark of at least 50% and do not proceed with the Course, or having
proceeded do not successfully complete the Course, shall be eligible for the award of
the Postgraduate Certificate.
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7. Students who obtain the 60 ECTS credits assigned to the taught studyunits with an average mark of at least 50% and do not proceed with the Course, or
having proceeded do not successfully complete the dissertation, shall be eligible for
the award of the Postgraduate Diploma.
8. The programme of study shall be published after approval by Senate,
normally not less than eight months prior to the commencement of the Course.
Assessment and Progress
9. (1) The assessment of each taught study-unit shall be completed by
the end of the semester in which the teaching of the study-unit is held.
(2) Students who in any academic year fail in the assessment of not
more than 10 ECTS credits shall be given the opportunity to re-sit the failed
assessment during the September supplementary examination session.
(3) Students who fail more than the number of credits permitted under
paragraph (2) of this bye-law or students who after re-assessment fail to obtain credit
for any study-unit shall be deemed to have failed the Course.
Dissertation
10. (1) Students shall be required to submit an individual dissertation of
approximately 25,000 words in accordance with the guidelines issued by the Board.
(2) Work on the dissertation shall be undertaken during the last two
semesters of the Course. Each student shall be assigned a supervisor who shall
provide guidance and advice on a regular basis during the period of study.
(3) A provisional title for the dissertation and a research proposal shall
be submitted to the Board for approval not later than six weeks before the end of the
fourth semester.
11. (1)
supervisor.
Students shall be required to have regular contact with their
(2) Supervisors shall submit to the Board progress reports for each
student under their supervision at the end of each semester of studies. Such reports
may include recommendations to either (a) extend the period of study in order to
enable the student to complete the dissertation; or (b) terminate studies prematurely
if the supervisor deems this to be proper in the circumstances, provided that:
(i) the extension of the study period referred to in (a) shall be in accordance
with the provisions of the Principal Regulations; and
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(ii) the Board may not terminate studies prematurely according to (b) until it
has first given the student a chance to be heard.
Classification of the Awards
12. (1) The Final Weighted Average Mark for the purpose of the
classification of the Postgraduate Diploma and of the Degree shall be based on the
results obtained in all the components of the programme of study, all credits being
weighted equally.
(2)
The Postgraduate Certificate shall be awarded unclassified.
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